www.victronenergy.com

Victron Energy B.V. | De Paal 35 | 1351 JG Almere | The Netherlands General phone: +31 (0)36 535 97 00 | Fax: +31 (0)36 535 97 40

E-mail: sales@victronenergy.com | www.victronenergy.com

Feature highlights

• Ultra-fast Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) • Advanced Maximum Power Point Detection in case of partial shading conditions

• Load output on the small models

• BatteryLife: intelligent battery management by load shedding • Automatic battery voltage recognition

• Flexible charge algorithm

• Over-temperature protection and power de-rating when temperature is high.

Color Control GX

All Victron Energy MPPT Charge Controllers are compatible with the Color Control GX: The Color Control GX provides intuitive control and monitoring for all products connected to it. The list of Victron products that can be connected is endless: Inverters, Multi’s, Quattro’s, MPPT 150/70, BMV-600 series, BMV-700 series, Skylla-i, Lynx Ion and even more.

VRM Online Portal Besides monitoring and controlling products on the Color Control GX, the information is also forwarded to our free remote monitoring website: the VRM Online Portal. To get an impression of the VRM Online Portal, visit https://vrm.victronenergy.com, and use the ‘Take a look inside’ button. The portal is free of charge. Related product: EasySolar

Minimal wiring and an all-in-one solution: the EasySolar takes power solutions one stage further, by combining an Ultra-fast BlueSolar charge controller (MPPT), an inverter/charger and AC distribution

in one enclosure.

BlueSolar charge controllers MPPT – Overview

Maximum Power Point Tracking

Upper curve: Output current (I) of a solar panel as function of output voltage (V). The maximum power point (MPP) is the point Pmax along the curve where the product I x V reaches its peak.

Lower curve: Output power P = I x V as function of output voltage. When using a PWM (not MPPT) controller the output voltage of the solar panel will be nearly equal to the voltage of the battery, and will be lower than Vmp.

Solar charge controller

MPPT 75/15 Model Load output Fan Battery voltage Display Color Control GX Com. port

75/15 Yes No 12/24 No Compatible VE.Direct

100/15 Yes No 12/24 No Compatible VE.Direct

100/30 No No 12/24 No Compatible VE.Direct

75/50 No No 12/24 No Compatible VE.Direct

100/50 No No 12/24 No Compatible VE.Direct

150/35 No No 12/24/36/48 No Compatible VE.Direct

150/70 No No 12/24/36/48 Yes Compatible VE.Can

150/85 No Yes 12/24/36/48 Yes Compatible VE.Can

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Victron Energy B.V. | De Paal 35 | 1351 JG Almere | The Netherlands

General phone: +31 (0)36 535 97 00 | Fax: +31 (0)36 535 97 40

E-mail: sales@victronenergy.com | www.victronenergy.com

Which solar charge controller: PWM or MPPT?

What follows is a summary of our white paper with the same title.

1. What they do

The PWM controller is in essence a switch that connects a solar array to a battery. The result is that the voltage

of the array will be pulled down to near that of the battery.

The MPPT controller is more sophisticated (and more expensive): it will adjust its input voltage to harvest the

maximum power from the solar array and then transform this power to supply the varying voltage

requirement, of the battery plus load. Thus, it essentially decouples the array and battery voltages so that

there can be, for example, a 12 volt battery on one side of the MPPT charge controller and a large number of

cells wired in series to produce 36 volts on the other.

Graphical representation of the DC to DC transformation as performed by an MPPT controller

2. The resultant twin strengths of an MPPT controller

a) Maximum Power Point Tracking

The MPPT controller will harvest more power from the solar array. The performance advantage is

substantial (10% to 40%) when the solar cell temperature is low (below 45°C), or very high (above

75°C), or when irradiance is very low.

At high temperature or low irradiance the output voltage of the array will drop dramatically. More

cells must then be connected in series to make sure that the output voltage of the array exceeds

battery voltage by a comfortable margin.

b) Lower cabling cost and/or lower cabling losses

Ohm’s law tells us that losses due to cable resistance are Pc (Watt) = Rc x I², where Rc is the

resistance of the cable. What this formula shows is that for a given cable loss, cable cross sectional

area can be reduced by a factor of four when doubling the array voltage.

In the case of a given nominal power, more cells in series will increase the output voltage and

reduce the output current of the array (P = V x I, thus, if P doesn’t change, then I must decrease

when V increases).

As array size increases, cable length will increase. The option to wire more panels in series and

thereby decrease the cable cross sectional area with a resultant drop in cost, is a compelling

reason to install an MPPT controller as soon as the array power exceeds a few hundred Watts

(12 V battery), or several 100 Watts (24 V or 48 V battery).

3. Conclusion

PWM

The PWM charge controller is a good low cost solution for small systems, when solar cell temperature is

moderate to high (between 45°C and 75°C).

MPPT

To fully exploit the potential of the MPPT controller, the array voltage should be substantially higher than the

battery voltage. The MPPT controller is the solution of choice for higher power systems because of the lowest

overall system cost due to smaller cable cross sectional areas. The MPPT controller will also harvest

substantially more power when the solar cell temperature is low (below 45°C), or very high (above 75°C), or

when irradiance is very low.